The BBC has previously come under fire with critics accusing the broadcaster of adopting a left leaning bias. Writing in the Telegraph, Lord Botham said the Corporation was doing “particularly badly” in the countryside “from where many people write to me”.
He added: “They dislike how the corporation increasingly uses its programmes to promote the narrow ‘woke’ views of its senior staff.
“They say it abuses its power to push these ‘urban progressive’ ideas as if they were mainstream.”
Citing a recent YouGov poll, Lord Botham explained how only 4 percent of the British public thought that the BBC had improved in terms of representing their values during 2020.
He added that “staggering” 33 percent had said the Corporation had become worse.
Lord Botham continued: “This is an organisation in big trouble. Any business facing numbers like those would take drastic action.”
The BBC has faced mounting criticism over its broadcasting approach, particularly its reporting of Brexit in recent weeks.
Last week, Nigel Farage attacked the BBC for broadcasting with an “impending doom” approach when covering Brexit.
The former MEP took to Twitter after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that England would be entering into a third lockdown.
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Mr Farage said: “We were told of course there would be massive traffic congestion in Kent and in Calais.
“And it’s turned out those threats were about as serious as the millennium bug 20 years ago because all the freight is operating perfectly smoothly.”
Lord Botham directed his criticism towards the BBC’s new Director-General, Tim Davie.
He explained how there is a “small army” of BBC presenters who use their profiles to “push their political and social views”.
Lord Botham said: “Mr Davie pledged to put an end to this abuse, but it hasn’t totally stopped.”
He added: “Country people have long been tired of this. Yet the BBC just mouths empty platitudes. It appears too big to reform.”
Lord Botham also spoke about the BBC’s “broken promise” to offer free licence to over-75s.
He said: “Our senior citizens do not deserve to be impoverished or frightened by demands from BBC tax collectors.”
He added: “The BBC dominates our culture and political debate.
“But those I hear from feel it has lost its legitimacy and despair of it.”
